page_title: United States Naval Academy
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: United States Naval Academy / History
caption_attribution_description: English: General View of the Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, a wood engraving after a drawing by W. R. Miller (Miller, William Rickarby, 1818-1893), published March 1853 in Illustrated News, New York, New York.
context_page_description: The United States Naval Academy is a federal service academy adjacent to Annapolis, Maryland. Established on 10 October 1845, under Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft, it is the second oldest of the five U.S. service academies, and educates officers for commissioning primarily into the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The 338-acre campus is located on the former grounds of Fort Severn at the confluence of the Severn River and Chesapeake Bay in Anne Arundel County, 33 miles east of Washington, D.C. and 26 miles southeast of Baltimore. The entire campus is a National Historic Landmark and home to many historic sites, buildings, and monuments. It replaced Philadelphia Naval Asylum, in Philadelphia, that served as the first United States Naval Academy from 1838 to 1845 when the Naval Academy formed in Annapolis.
  Candidates for admission generally must both apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination, usually from a Member of Congress. Students are officers-in-training and are referred to as midshipmen. Tuition for midshipmen is fully funded by the Navy in exchange for an active duty service obligation upon graduation.
context_section_description: The first nautical school for officers was conceived by Commodore Arthur Sinclair in 1819 while in command of the Norfolk Navy Yard. Due to his zeal and perseverance, the "Nautical School" was opened on board the frigate Guerriere on 3 Dec 1821 with between 40 and 50 midshipmen attached to the ship. The curriculum was diversified with Naval Tactics, Astronomy, Geography, French, History, English Grammar, and International Relations. The school operated until 1828, when Guerriere was ordered to duty in the Pacific. It was from that small start that the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis grew.
  The history of the Academy can be divided into four eras: 1) use of original Fort Severn 1845–1861, 2) "Porter's Academy" 1865–1903, 3) "Flagg Academy" 1903–1941, 4) modern era 1941–present.
caption: U.S. Naval Academy in 1853
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